The End of the World

Summary: It's not the apocalypse, really - but it might as well be for James as he confronts the one person that could strike fear into his heart: his one and only mother.

Awake

In the
morning of Mom’s birthday, the beginning of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony greeted
me like a slap on the face. It blasted in my right ear through my cell phone’s
tiny speakers and promptly shook me awake. Where
was I and when was I? I wondered for a brief moment, still close-eyed as I
grabbed the phone and punched in a few buttons randomly without looking and
hoped it would shut up. It didn’t.

The tune
managed to ring for a few more musical bars before I successfully turned it
off. I made a mental note to change my ringtone into something less heart
stopping as I rubbed my bleary eyes and dumped my phone somewhere on the bed.

I am James Warouw, a second-year Universitas Indonesia student stuck in the Biochemistry department. Likes money. Hates
wasting money. Must not be late for Mom’s birthday lunch at 12 PM. After
gathering up my scattered thoughts, I peered at the clock on the adjacent white
wall and supressed the urge to smack myself. James will be late for Mom’s birthday lunch because he ignored his
alarm and it is now 11 AM, I mused as I forced myself off my comfort zone
and rushed around the room in a struggle to get ready for the day.

Mom, the
aforementioned birthday girl – also known as Shilla Warouw or ‘that woman you
never want to cross’ – was a beautiful black-haired, brown-eyed employee of a
consulting company in her early forties that almost always had the temper of a
raging bull and the facial expression of someone who just ate a sour grape.
Fortunately, I had all of her looks but none of her temperaments; our family
would turn into a warzone even if I only had one of her traits. Speaking of
which, Mr. Salim, our former father, was probably the first casualty in our
family as a result of Mom’s ‘shoot first, think later’ policy, since he had
decided to leave us seven years ago. Despite all her flaws, though, I still
cared for Mom, the glorious bitch that she was and still is. Not that I’d ever
admit that to anyone – especially not to the person herself.

Just as I
finished tying up my left sneakers, my phone bleeped twice to notify me of an
incoming message and shook around the bed, trying in vain to escape the sheets
that swallowed it whole. I grabbed it without a second thought and zoomed down
the stairs of my dorm building towards the exit, only finding the time to read
a reminder about today’s plans from my older brother, Miki.

And
mentioning my brother: If Shilla Warouw was a raging bull, then Miki Warouw was
the gentlest buffalo you’d ever set eyes upon. He also looked like Mom, but was
the complete opposite of her in terms of personality. In my twenty years of
living, I could count with my fingers the number of times I’ve seen him
enraged, although we do bicker a lot. He was around five years older than me,
with a solid occupation in some big-shot company. Even so, we somehow ended up
living in the same city, so I sometimes go and visit him at his apartment. Once
in a while, when stacks of paperwork or days of endless research didn’t tie
both of us down, we would find the time to have lunch or dinner together. Most
siblings would have gone on their separate ways, but Miki and I somehow stuck
with each other to this very day.

The Warouws,
excluding Mr. Salim, have lived in Jakarta, our country’s metropolitan capital
since – well, forever. As always, whenever I decided to step out of my humble
abode located in the Central District, the city would greet me first with its
sticky humid air and stinging heat of its tropical sun, accompanied by the
smoke-polluted air that made it hard to breathe. If you weren’t used to it,
then you might want to wear a facemask.

Next came
the blares of car horns and the unsightly traffic on dull grey asphalt. Since I
lived right in front of a highly used roadway, this would be the first thing I
hear and see everyday, without fail. Prolonged exposure has taught me to ignore
them by simply minding your own business.

And finally,
the most annoying thing that Jakarta dished out to its inhabitants was the wicked
smell. God knows how many times I’ve walked on the streets and smelt either the
scent of rotting trash, shit-infested sewers, or a deadly combination of both.
Even as I reached my destination, a green-and-white domed bus stop, I couldn’t
get rid of the foul stench. It was so bad that it was capable of leaving a
taste both bitter and sour in my mouth.

The
itinerary for today, according to Miki’s message: 12 PM birthday lunch, 2 PM
birthday gift hunting, and 6 PM birthday show. As I waited for the tardy bus to
roll around the corner, I checked my phone for the time and promptly swore at
it to bits.

Laraine Smith:
My only suggestion on the grammar is to use www.grammarcheck.net. I have it bookmarked on Google Chrome. I see myself in the determination in this beautiful story! I have Cerebral Palsy, and I have dreams that I have been working hard for, too! The humor made me laugh!

Dessie Williams:
I read the first book and now this one, they both are really good stories. love the characters,. loved painting the story in my head, the ending was awesome. Hope the series continue . Great job .... You Rock!!!

tubaaarshad:
I am not really fan of werewolf genre, but it would be a lie if I would say that I did not enjoy this particular read. It was a fast interesting journey to ride along, and the thing I liked the most about this book was that it was not entirely cliche. I get it love problems and crazy alpha male l...

Riskaninda Maharani:
This story told about love between Christopher Schlösser (a German) and Anggia Selestina (an Indonesian) that happened in Düsseldorf, Germany in an autumn. The German autumn which was so different with the autumn in the other four season countries, especially in Anggia's eyes when her heart-movin...

zoheusher20:
What more can I say? The writing style and little details drew me into the book and for the entirety of the story I was Juliet. I felt her turmoil and emotions and every trouble or triumph as they arrived. This story was very different and had quite a few little but unexpected twists that made it...

Dessie Williams:
loved the book. the plot the characters all just great.I think it's a must read. once you start this book it's hard to put down. hope it gets published....I think this book is a must read.great job!!!!

Swostika Ghimire:
Seriously, now I am in love with this story.This story is making me crazy. Beginning was awesome and ending is mind blowing.I loved all the characters of this story. Thankgod I found this story here. I was about to be crazy eating for updates in wattpad.And mostly I appreciate author of this stor...

emmaneal74:
I loved this booked. Would definitely buy it when published and read it again. The story flowed in such a way I just couldn't put it down. I was never confused about the characters or their roles in the story which can happen sometimes with so many lead. I'd recommend this to anyone wanting to r...

Tomlen Brenda:
waouh interesting in deed. I loved every moment ,the writing style and characters. the suspense that exist at the end of every chapter pushes the reader to go deeper.feels like I was watching a movie.keep up more grace!

PokemænStivo:
I have just finished reading this novel and I love it!First, the plot was very well designed. It tells the story of a person nearly kill herself. But then someone appears in her life. Someone who was already in this situation and came out of it. Someone who could hear, understand and help the oth...

Shreya Biswas:
Finally god...... I was tired of Charissa doubting Frederick's love... yes.. All's well that ends well.... i was getting really downright agitated at the author because the suspense was held really well on how things will work out in the epilogue and i just wanted them to have a happy ending.. An...

PaulSenkel:
If you like Arthur C. Clarke's Odyssey, especially The Final Odyssey, then you will probably also enjoy this book. I definitely did.It does, however, address a more adolescent public than the above-mentioned book.I enjoyed the story and finished it in a few days.The overall situation on earth and...

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